Notes for hosts

If you are inviting an external speaker for a brownbag, here's what you have to do!

Schedule the Brownbag

Publicize !

The day of the talk

After the event

Notes for speakers

What are brownbags at Mozilla like?

Because Mozilla is a global, open-source organization, our brownbags might be a little different from how talks at other companies work.

• It's a casual environment
  • Really, no need to dress up! Most people come to work in jeans, so you should feel free to dress however you'd like.
  • If it's a lunch time talk, expect that some people will bring their lunch.
  • The setting is small and informal, so people won't hesitate to ask questions. Feel free to tell folks if you'd rather save questions for after the talk, or whether you're ok being interrupted.
  • Since we have an open floorplan in our offices, anticipate that a few people will walk in and out of the space where your talk is being held. Generally, people will be respectful and will try to minimize distractions as much as possible.

• Your talk will be broadcasted and recorded for the world to see (unless you tell us not to)
  • Anyone in the world, even folks who aren't Mozilla employees, can view your brownbag live and archived from the Mozilla website. This means that you will always have a link to your talk to share with others, and your friends can watch it live. This also means that you should consider the broad reach of what you say when preparing for your talk.
  • If you plan to present information that you'd rather restrict to Mozilla employees, let your host know and he or she will request that the talk be made available only to paid staff. (We encourage you to share your wisdom with the rest of the world though!)

• Your talk will be broadcast live in Mozilla offices around the world.
  • You may only see a handful of people physically present at your talk, but you're likely to have a broader audience watching from our locations around the world. Expect a local audience of about 15 - 30 people, but don't be surprised if you get questions from people who aren't in the room.

Preparing for your brownbag

• Send the following info to your host, so that he or she can publicize the talk (This will also be displayed on Mozilla):
  • Your Name + Headshot + Brief Bio
  • Title of the Talk
  • Summary of the Talk
  • (optional): Links to your website, papers, or other information relevant to the talk

• General structure of the brownbag
  • Typically, brownbags are scheduled for an hour. Tell your host beforehand if you're planning to use more or less time.
  • Save about 5 minutes of time at the beginning for the host to introduce you and to wait for people to settle down in the room.
  • Save some time at the end for questions from the audience.
  • Provide your contact information on your slides in case people want to keep in contact with you.

• Other tips to help remotees make the most of your talk
  • Having a presentation with slides that people can follow works better than just talking. It's even better if you have the slides ready before the talk in a format that can be shared with remotees (URL, PDF)
  • Avoid slides with lots of tiny text crammed in. It's extremely difficult to read from a small window on someone's monitor.
  • Unfortunately, interactive activities with the local audience don't work as well because remotees won't be able to participate or see what's going on. You won't be able to write on whiteboards or flipcharts (you can write on a text editor on your laptop though!)
  • Avoid switching between multiple programs during your talk. It just increases the chance that something will fail to stream on video...
  • Avoid embedding video into your presentation if you can live without it. It very rarely works. If you must have the video, links on the web work best. Make sure to test it with our setup before the talk!
  • If you want to show a live demo, it's best to show it from the laptop you are presenting from so that it can be streamed to remote participants. Again, it's better if the demo is accessible via a link. If you have other types of demos to show or physical products, let your host know beforehand so that he or she can figure out the best way to share it.

During the day of your talk

• Getting to the Mozilla office
  • Check the address of the office you're going to visit.
  • Figure out where to meet your host / contact him or her when you're at the office
  • If the receptionist asks who you are, say that you're a brownbag speaker and give your host's name

• Arrive 15 minutes early for setup!
  • Your host will help you set up your laptop and anything else you need for the talk. We'll also run through your slides and links to make sure everything's working.
  • If you are running late, just let your host know so that we can tell the audience that you're coming soon.

• Technology needs
  • We probably have whatever dongle to connect your laptop to our projector, but when in doubt, let us know what you need or bring your own.
  • You can use your own laptop to present or you can use one of ours. Just let us know!

• Even more tips to help remotees during your talk
  • Stick close to the microphone at the podium (or warn us if you're the kind of person who likes to walk around-- we'll try to find a wireless mic for you.)
  • When you are asked a question, you should repeat the question on the microphone so that remote listeners can hear what was asked.
  • People will generally ask questions throughout the talk on the #airmozilla IRC backchannel. We'll have someone moderate these questions for you.

After the talk

• Share your material
  • Send your host a copy of your talk and any other links you might have so that we can distribute to the audience.
  • Some people might want to stay and ask questions after your talk. If you can, plan to stay for at least 15 minutes after your talk (but feel free to let them know if you have to leave!)